COVID-19 Clinical Trials and Expanded Access

The COVID-19 pandemic has already overwhelmed the sanitary capacity. Additional therapeutic arsenals, albeit untested in the given context but previously proven to be efficacious in a related clinical context, that could reduce the morbidity rate are urgently needed. A decrease of Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a validated bad prognosis marker in sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome. In contrast, auricular vagus nerve stimulation was proven not only to increase HRV values in healthy Humans, but also to reduce sepsis and increase survival, both significantly, in experimental models. Moreover, the heavy viral infection within the brainstem of deceased patients suggests that the neuroinvasive potential of SARS-CoV2 is likely to be partially responsible for COVID-19 acute respiratory failure and may bear relevance in tailoring future treatment modalities. Interestingly, the vagus nerve (or tenth cranial nerve) connects bidirectionally the brainstem to various internal organs including the lung and to one external organ, namely, the outer ear. Hence, the impact of auricular vagus nerve stimulation through semi-permanent needles will be studied, mostly used so far for pain alleviation, on the outcome of COVID-19 inpatients within 15 days.

Blood samples from participants who have recovered from COVID-19 infection will be obtained and studied. The goal of the research is to identify antibodies that have been generated by the patient to fight the COVID-19 infection. By identifying the most effective antibodies, scientists can make specific antibodies to use to prevent future coronavirus outbreaks or to treat patients with severe disease.

The overall objective of the study is to determine the therapeutic effect and tolerance of Sarilumab in combination with Azithromycin and Hydroxychloroquine, compared to Sarilumab only, patients with moderate, severe pneumonia associated with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Sarilumab is a human IgG1 monoclonal antibody that binds specifically to both soluble and membrane-bound IL-6Rs (sIL-6Rα and mIL-6Rα) and has been shown to inhibit IL-6-mediated signaling through these receptors. The study has a cohort multiple Randomized Controlled Trials (cmRCT) design. Randomization will occur prior to offering investigational treatments administration to patients enrolled in the CORIMUNO-19 cohort (NCT04324047). Sarilumab+Azithromycin+Hydroxychloroquine, or Sarilumab only will be administered to consenting adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19 either diagnosed with moderate or severe pneumonia requiring no mechanical ventilation. All patients will receive standard of care along with randomized investigational treatments. Outcomes of included patients will be compared between groups as well as with outcomes of patients in the CORIMUNO-19 cohort treated with other immune modulators or standard of care.

A novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, is responsible for a rapidly spreading pandemic that has reached 160 countries, infecting over 500,000 individuals and killing more than 24,000 people. SARS-CoV-2 causes an acute and potentially lethal respiratory illness, known as COVID-19, that is threatening to overwhelm health care systems due to a dramatic surge in hospitalized and critically ill patients. Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 typically have been symptomatic for 5-7 days prior to admission, indicating that there is a window during which an effective intervention could significantly alter the course of illness, lessen disease spread, and alleviate the stress on hospital resources. There is no known treatment for COVID-19, though in vitro and one poorly controlled study have identified a potential antiviral activity for HCQ. The rationale for this clinical trial is to measure the efficacy and safety of hydroxychloroquine for reducing viral load and shedding in adult outpatients with confirmed COVID-19.

The current outbreak of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 is a global health emergency with a case fatality rate so far approximately 4% and a growing number of confirmed cases (>9500) in Germany. There is no data available on the efficacy of antiviral agents for the treatment of COVID-19. In vitro data show that hydroxychloroquine can inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication and anecdotal reports from COVID-19 patients in China and France suggest that chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine is a good candidate for treatment. In the French study a favourable effect was seen when hydroxychloroquine was used together with azithromycin in a small series of COVID-19 patients. However, so far all published evidence is based on non-controlled use of hydroxychloroquine. We propose to conduct a placebo-controlled trial in COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate disease in Germany to assess virological efficacy, tolerability and safety of hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19. The objective of this trial is to identify an effect of hydroxychloroquine on viral clearance in vivo. This data will inform practice for the design of larger trials on clinical efficacy of hydroxychloroquine in the treatment and post-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19.

Clinical thoracic ultrasound plays an important role in the exploration, diagnosis and follow-up of thoracic pathologies. The COVID (Coronavirus Disease) epidemic is leading to a large influx of patients in the emergency department with respiratory disorders. The rapid diagnosis of respiratory disorders in infected patients is important for further management. Chest ultrasound has already demonstrated its value in the diagnosis of pneumonia in the emergency department with superiority over chest X-ray. However, there is little data on the thoracic ultrasound semiology of viral pneumonia in general and of COVID in particular.

The main objective of our study is to determine if treatment with sirolimus can improve clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The investigators will employ a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study design. 30 subjects will be randomized in a 2:1 fashion to receive sirolimus or placebo. Sirolimus will be given as a 6mg oral loading dose on day 1 followed by 2mg daily for a maximum treatment duration of 14 days or until hospital discharge, whichever happens sooner. Chart reviews will be conducted daily to determine changes in clinical status, concomitant medications and laboratory parameters. Study specific biomarkers will be measured at baseline and then at days 3, 7 and 14.

Evaluate HACOR socre utility and efficacy in predicting NIV and/or CPAP failure in patients with COVID-19 associated respiratory failure. Propose adaptations to HACOR score based on the "state of art" of COVID-19

The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the days until reaching clinical stability after starting randomization in hospitalized patients with elevated inflammatory parameters and severe COVID-19 lung injury.

The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated drastic measures in order to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The stay home policies for the whole population and especially for frail patients and the express instruction to deprogram non-urgent consultations and interventions limited the clinic visits in neuro-urology department. In this context, telemedicine was seen as a pragmatic solution to provide follow-up care for our neurologic patients. Due to the delay in deploying telemedicine and the cognitive impairment of some of our patients, telephone consultation has been prioritized. The COVID-19 pandemic might be an opportunity to review and refine our practices in neuro-urology. For the follow-up of selected patients, telephone consultations may be efficient and cost effective. The aim of the study is to assess the efficiency and the satisfaction with telephone consultation for the physician and the patient. The study was conducted in a neuro-urology department of a university hospital in France. During the stay-home policies for the COVID-19 pandemic, all the scheduled medical visits were converted into telephone consultation. New patients weren't included. For each teleconsultation, the physician assess the duration of the consultation, the number of tries to join the patient, the efficiency of the consultation, the difficulty to obtain relevant information due to the phone way of the consultation and the lack of physical examination. On the next days, the patient was contacted by phone and was asked a) if he was satisfied of being phoned by the physician, b) if the teleconsultation was embarrassing, c) if he had enough time of teleconsultation d) if he got all the answers to his queries, e) if he would preferred to had a physical consultation f) to assessed the global satisfaction of the teleconsultation and g) if in the future, they may considered converting some clinic visits to teleconsultations. The physician and the patient assessed whether this teleconsultation has replaced a physical visit. The usual transport mode of the patient for a clinic visit and the need to take a day off for worker patients were recorded. The primary aim was to assess the efficiency and the satisfaction of the telephone consultation. The primary outcome was the evaluation of the efficiency of the telephone consultation by the physician on a numerical 10-points scale. The secondary outcome was the evaluation of the satisfaction of the telephone consultation by the patient on a numerical 10-points scale. Four hundred teleconsultations are scheduled for five physicians.